"Free
leg workout routines that will help you build you quads, hams and calves."
Choosing to add free leg workouts to your weight
lifting routine is a smart choice. Many people loath working out their legs. Why? Because working your legs is hard!
You can always tell which gym goers don't workout
their legs very often. These people often have a well developed upper
body, and chicken legs holding up the frame.
Intelligent trainees know that they NEED to work
out their legs in order to have a balanced physique.
Not all leg workout routines are created equally,
however. If you truly want to build your quads and increase
your overall muscle growth, you need to do barbell squats.
I know, I know... "my knees hurt too much" or "my
lower back can't take it".
Trust me, I've heard them all before.
The bottom line is, if you are having problems
squatting, you are probably not using proper form and/or you are using too much
weight.
There is a good book out called "Starting
Strength" that you can pickup, that will teach you all the basics of
squatting, or any other important exercise for that matter.
Sure, you can use the leg press at the gym; many
do. But nothing, in my opinion, builds your quadriceps better than barbell
squats.
Now, don't go running to the gym and try knocking
out 200 lbs X 10 if you've never squatted before. You need to work your
way up first with your free leg workouts. Pick up "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe, you won't
regret it.
Before we get into info on free legs workouts, please be sure to read our
disclaimer.
Also, here's a pretty good YouTube video that
explains how to squat with proper form.
Ok, here's some free leg workouts you can use:
Free Leg Workout #1 - The Tree Trunk Builder
Barbell Squats - 4 sets X 6-10 reps
Leg Extensions - 3 sets X 10-15 reps
Seated or Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets X 10-15
reps
Standing or Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets X
10-15 reps
When first starting out with this leg routine,
choose a weight you can comfortably do the maximum amount of reps for.
i.e. if you can do 165 lbs X
6 or 145 X 10... do the latter. This will
help you get accustomed to the leg workouts.
Again, always be sure you are using proper form or
you could risk an injury.
At the end of the leg workout, I also do about 5
minutes of different types of leg stretches. This helps with the muscle
building process as well as aids in speeding up the recovery time.
I use the above leg workout routine once a week,
and on Fridays.
The reason I perform this free leg workout at the
end of the week is because my legs get very sore after this workout and I need
the weekend to fully recover.
Although it's sometimes a pain in the ass walking
funny over the weekend, it is still better than having sore legs during the week
when I need to workout other body parts as well.
Free Leg Routine #2 - The Conditioner
I like using the following leg workout when I'm
trying to bring up my overall cardiovascular conditioning. For this
reason, I keep the reps high. Obviously, I need to bring the weight down
some more than usual, in order to maintain the higher rep range.
Leg Press - 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps
Dumbell Lunges - 2 sets of 15 to 20 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 2 sets of 15 to
20 reps
Seated or Standing Calf Raises - 2 sets
of 15 to 20 reps
I hope you found these free leg workouts
useful and be sure to let a friend know about our site.
Barbell Squats - 4 sets X 6-10 reps